WWDC Rumor Roundup

WWDC is a week-long event with over a 100 sessions of which the Keynote is just one of them. It is for both iOs and OsX developers There will be sessions on everything from developing graphical applications including game, media rich books, video and audio application to sessions for Web kit developers and how to make money by using StoreKit.

We already know that both Mountain Lion and iOS 6 will be front and center in both the keynote and the various sessions. If you read the Apple about WWDC page it is also clear that they will be emphasizing the retina display and how to take advantage of it. Another point of emphasis will be the integration of social media including Twitter. It is rumored that Facebook integration will be introduced, however that has not been confirmed. Even Tim Cook has admitted that Ping, which was Apple latest attempt to make iTunes social has been less than successful. It appears that Apple has given up creating its own social network and instead is concentrating on integrating already existing social networks into its ecosystem. I think this makes sense, social networks have never been Apple’s strength. Apple will probably also announce its own mapping solution under iOs 6 removing its dependence on Google maps.

These are things we know are going to be introduced at WWDC unless something unforeseen happens, but what about the unconfirmed rumors. The first is Siri for iPad. This is most likely just for the current iPad and iPad 2, but not for the original iPad. I have to admit being an owner of an iPad, but not an iPhone I am looking forward to trying Siri out, although I am not sure what I will use it for. Also under iOs 6, A Do not Disturb, mode for reminders appears be coming. I would love it if they would add a clear all box to reminders, so I didn’t have to click on each section. Some people expect iCloud to be upgraded to include new web apps including notes and reminders. Since Mobile Me is shutting down at the end of June it would not be surprising to see an enhanced photo sharing option under iCloud to replace it.

Most people also expect new hardware to be released during the week of WWDC including new Macbook Airs, Mac Pros and MacBook Pros. Some of the upgrades that are rumored are the introduction of USB 3.0, the employment of Intel’s Ivy Bridge CPUs, retina display in a notebook, and the 17-inch Macbook being discontinue. All these rumors have their plus and minuses, which Techcrunch does a good job at articulating in the post Which Apple WWDC Rumors Are Most Likely to Come True. Most people don’t expect the new iPhone to be introduced at WWDC, although out of focus pictures of iPhone 5 parts keep showing up on the Web. The Boy Genus site says that Apple will release an SDK for the current Apple TV to third-party developers. This would open it up to third-party applications. If this happens, some people see it as a step toward the release of the mythical stand alone Apple TV. There are even a few who expect the mythical stand alone Apple TV to be introduced at WWDC. I do hope the SDK rumor is true, the current Apple TV has so much potential if only Apple would open it up to developers.

How many of these rumors will come true, only Apple knows, however there are a couple of things I can guarantee. The first is that there will probably be at least one surprise. The second is there will also be at least one rumor that will not come true because of a last-minute hiccup. Third the various tech sites will spend at least a week after WWDC talking about where Apple failed and why. Finally there will be an in-depth analysis clearly showing that Apple is falling apart because Tim Cook’s hair was out-of-place or his shirt was untucked or a slide didn’t work perfectly during the keynote. All I know is at 1 pm EST on Monday I will probably have one of the many tech sites who will be live blogging the keynote open and TWiT.tv playing in the background. How about you? If you are a Mac user have you been following the rumors and will you be following the keynote live.